Pingelapese language
| Pingelapese | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Micronesia |
| Region | Pingelap |
| Ethnicity | (undated figure of >2,000 Pingelapese) |
Native speakers | (2,500 cited 1991) All users: 4,500 |
Austronesian
| |
| Latin script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | pif |
| Glottolog | ping1243 |
| ELP | Pingelapese |
Pingelapese is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. | |
The Pingelapese language is a Micronesian language native to Pingelap, an atoll in the state of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. This atoll is the homeland of the Pingelapese people, consisting of a three-square-mile (7.8 km2) range of uninhabited small coral islets, Daekae and Sukora, and the inhabited islet, Pingelap. These islands partially make up the Caroline Islands.
Due to natural disasters and emigration consequent to European and U.S. influence, the local population in Pingelap is small. There are at least 2,000 Pingelapese people worldwide.
Although the official language of the Pohnpei State is English, 200 of the 250 Pingelap atoll residents and 1,200 Pohnpei residents speak Pingelapese. The Pingelapese language is used for face-to-face communication among speakers of all ages and is classified as vigorous. Documentation efforts, including work by linguist Leilani Welley-Biza recording elder knowledge, have preserved cultural and historical aspects of the language. The Doahkaesa and King of Pingelap, Berysin D. Salomon, and traditional leaders maintain the language and cultural heritage through Pingelapese customary practices.